From the Spa: August 27 Midlantic-breds in Saratoga stakes

“From the Spa,” written by our on-site correspondent Joe Aiello, III, returns to keep you up-to-date on horses bred in the mid-Atlantic racing in Saratoga stakes.

Travers Day at Saratoga features several Grade I stakes on the undercard, including two races which feature key Mid Atlantic runners. Time to look at those.

The seventh race on the 13-race card is the Ballerina, a seven furlong dirt sprint for fillies and mares three-years-old and upward.

The hopefully graceful Mid Atlantic runner in the Ballerina is Spelling Again, a five-year-old mare bred in Pennsylvania by George Strawbridge. Spelling Again will be guided by jock Luis Saez under the watchful care of trainer Brad H. Cox. This mare, owned by Seajay Racing LLC, has impeccable bloodlines, with Awesome Again – Spelling, by Alphabet Soup as her parents and grandparents. Recently winning a Grade 2 stakes at Gulfstream Park, this winner of over $500,000 has a realistic shot at dancing away with a trophy on Saturday. Her morning line odds are 12-1.

Saratoga’s 8th race on this loaded card is the Grade 1 Kings Bishop Stakes, also run at seven furlongs on the dirt and restricted to three-year-olds. The race is named for a famous sprinter of the early 1970s, Kings Bishop, who won 11 of his 28 career starts. Tom’s Ready, a three-year-old colt, born February 1st of 2013, was bred in Pennsylvania, by Blackstone Farm LLC. By More Than Ready – Goodbye Stranger, by Broad Brush, he will be ridden by Joel Rosario, for trainer Dallas Stewart. Tom’s Ready has spent a good portion of his summer at Saratoga, but it has been far from a relaxing vacation. He has 5 listed workouts since July 24th, all at Saratoga with the last being at 5 furlongs in 1:02.17. Though he hasn’t raced since winning the G2 Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes undercard, it appears that like his father, Tom is More Than Ready, He is 12-1 morning line and carrying 121 lbs.